Stevie Ray Vaughan

Stevie Ray Vaughan mixed Albert King’s gritty string-bending with Jimi Hendrix’s sci-fi supersonics to redefine the sound and scope of classic blues rock in the ’80s. Born in Dallas in 1954, Vaughan eventually dropped out of high school, relocated to Austin, and became a fixture on the city’s club circuit. In 1983, he released his auspicious debut album, Texas Flood, recorded with his Double Trouble rhythm section (drummer Chris Layton and bassist Tommy Shannon). After a performance at the Montreux Jazz Festival attended by David Bowie, Vaughan was invited to play on 1983’s Let’s Dance, and his dynamic boogie helped make it Bowie’s best-selling album. Released in 1984, Couldn’t Stand the Weather cemented Vaughan’s reputation as a modern blues giant. And while Vaughan lived as hard as he performed, he regained his musical voice on 1989’s In Step, a high-energy tribute to recovery that should have marked the start of his next phase. Unfortunately, his story was cut short: After performing at an all-star blues jam at a Wisconsin resort in 1990, Vaughan died in a helicopter crash at age 35.